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It was a dark and stormy night. A case of mistaken identity hinged on a single piece of organic evidence. Pulse quickening, the young lab tech scanned the DNA fingerprint. Proof in her grasp, she punched in the boss’ cell number. 
A little bit melodramatic, maybe. And, all right, so there’s no criminal intent. But once UNI’s Grapevine Identification Center is up and running, the science involved will match any weekly episode of CSI. Housed in the McCollum Science Hall and under the direction of professor and plant morphologist Jean Gerrath, the Grapevine ID Center will soon be a major public resource for the positive identification of grape varieties, and a boon to one of Iowa’s emerging niche agricultural markets. Iowa grape producers will be among the primary beneficiaries, according to Gerrath. Central to her case is that up to five percent of the grapes grown in Iowa vineyards are commonly misidentified. “They’re just brown, rooted twigs when they’re sold,” Gerrath said. “They don’t look different, one from the other.” Growers might purchase grapes from the nursery only to find out after considerable time and investment that their ‘Concords’ aren’t purple. “It takes about three years before vines produce fruit, and until then growers don’t realize they have planted misidentified vines. That’s a lot of time for farmers to lose,” she said. That is clearly unacceptable for an industry that is otherwise presently positioned to improve its credibility and, thus, its fortunes. “There are 30 licensed wineries in the state, and some of their products are surprisingly good,” said Gerrath. “At least half a dozen are well enough established that it’s a major source of income for them. Some are winning medals for their product, nationally and internationally. We’re just not used to thinking about local wines that way.” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge makes it a habit to think such things. When she established a task force to revitalize Iowa’s grape industry four years ago, Gerrath recognized the pronouncement as an opportunity and seized it. She contacted Judge’s office, which put her in touch with task force members, and Gerrath was elected inaugural president of the Iowa Grape Growers Association. The science of identificationEmily Lehman (’96, Presidential Scholar, Dubuque), biology instructor and Gerrath’s research associate, joined the UNI faculty at about the same time as the Center became a reality. Her doctoral work in genetics and the study of Alzheimer’s disease in mouse models used techniques that are transferable to the identification of plants. “We will be able to grind up a leaf from a vine’s first growing season and run a DNA profile just like you would for a human,” Lehman said. “We can then identify the unknown plant by comparing its DNA profile to a database of DNA profiles from known plant samples that we obtain from research institutions that breed grapes.” Samples will be stored in a frozen state at the lab, and DNA information will be cataloged in the Center’s computers for future comparisons. “Eventually we hope to expand our services to test for the presence or absence of pathogens so nurseries can certify that they are selling disease-free stock,” Lehman said. Not only will access to this science be valuable to producers of products made from grapes, but Iowa growers and distributors will also realize an advantage in quality assurance. Gerrath, who was the first recipient of a Sahai Distinguished Professorship at UNI, said she wants students to benefit from the Center’s lab activities as much as possible. She sees the Center as a training ground beyond coursework for biology majors with a biotechnology emphasis. “Our students will definitely be involved with DNA fingerprinting, cataloging and analysis,” Gerrath said. “This will be one practical way in which students will use some of the laboratory equipment purchased with funds generously donated by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.”  A lot of ground will have been covered before the high-tech science actually begins. And by ground, we mean actual GROUND. Lehman literally “tromped around” the countryside last year, examining grape varieties, photographing plants, taking measurements and collecting data specifically for Phase I of the Grapevine project—a comprehensive handbook for the identification of grape varieties that uses standard morphological features that anyone can see. Anne Reynolds, a senior art major (Mediapolis), spent the summer and fall of 2004 designing the four-color beta version of the handbook, which was funded by UNI’s College of Natural Sciences. The first 200 copies of the handbook, “A Midwesterner’s Handbook to Grapevine Varieties,” rolled off the press in December. Copies of the book are available by contacting Gerrath at (319) 273-7152 or e-mailing her at jean.gerrath@uni.edu. Cost is $10. People who wish to pick one up in person, or who are interested in the Grapevine ID Center’s activities, are welcome to drop by for a visit. Gerrath advises prospective visitors to call or e-mail in advance. Future initiatives and continued operation of the Grapevine Center will require more funding. Gerrath, Lehman and other colleagues in the Department of Biology will be applying for funding for the necessary equipment, staff, and supplies from a number of sources, including the Iowa Grape and Wine Development Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Gerrath said, “Ideally, the Center will one day operate on a cost recovery basis, while providing training and experience to UNI biology undergraduates and helping Iowa growers develop a quality industry.” |
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